5
EASTERN COURIER, NOVEMBER 19, 2010
NEWS
Operation Heal thanks readers for support
OPERATION
Text HEAL to 4740 to donate $3.00
The Mad Butcher and Suburban Newspapers Community Trust
The money is rolling in -- but
there s still a way to go.
Operation Heal aims to
raise $200,000 to buy a high
tech operating microscope for
the National Burn Centre.
The equipment will be used
for much needed plastic and
reconstructive
surgery
designed to help patients get
their lives back on track.
The Eastern Courier is part
of the Mad Butcher and Sub-
urban Newspapers Com-
munity Trust.
We launched Operation
Heal earlier this month and
have been overwhelmed by
the level of public support
from our readers -- your
cheques, cash and text
donations are much appreci-
ated.
Trust chairman Sir Peter
Leitch and his wife Janice
kicked things off with a
$10,000 contribution that has
just been matched with a
cheque for the same amount
from the Hugh Green Chari-
table Trust. Spokesman John
Green challenges other busi-
nesses to do the same.
Corporate and other organ-
isations can also get on board
by purchasing a table at the
charity fundraising dinner
being held on December 3 at
the TelstraClear Pacific
Events Centre as part of the
campaign.
The evening starts at
7.30pm and will include live
and silent auctions as well as
music from the band Black
Salt. The guest speaker will
be Prime Minister John Key
who will be interviewed on
stage by Paul Holmes.
Diners will enjoy a superb
meal with complimentary
beer from Lion Breweries and
fine wine from Glengarry in a
festive atmosphere.
Tickets cost $1850 + GST
for atable of10or$185+
GST per person. Call
Shandall on 531-5910 for
more information or email
shandall@madbutcher.co.nz.
No funding makes learning harder
By MATT BOWEN
Learning the lingo: English tutor
Sheryl Simpson hopes
government interference won't
stop her English as a second
language classes.
Photo: MATT BOWEN
User pays has come to the
Highland Park Community
House.
New immigrants keen to
grasp the English language
have enjoyed a free course at
the council-funded facility for
years until the government
intervened.
Sheryl Simpson has
tutored the small classes
twice weekly since 2002.
She says there s a huge
demand especially from eld-
erly migrants from China and
Taiwan.
It s the people that are
going to lose out, Mrs Simp-
son says.
It would be sad if there
was nothing in the area that
can replace what we ve been
doing.
The community house
covered course costs until
2006 when the Southern
Institute of Technology
stepped in and contracted the
National Technology Insti-
tute to provide academic sup-
port.
SIT has been told, your
core work is in the southland
area, leave it to the Auckland
polytechs to provide this sort
of thing, Ntech director of
studies Rogan Falla says.
But none of them provides
that type of course where you
go a couple of times a week
and do the majority at home,
she says.
Mrs Falla says migrants
often arrive with valuable
skills but find their English
isn t good enough for poten-
tial employers in that area.
Courses such as this help
breach that gap, she says.
Mrs Simpson is now work-
ing with the community
house committee to find a
way forward. The next
17-week course could come
with a $400 price tag to cover
costs.
Committee member Van-
essa Easton says she ll do
everything she can to keep it
going.
There are so many people
out there who go down to the
supermarket and they don t
understand how to get grocer-
ies or catch the bus -- this is
where Sheryl fits in, she
says.
The community house at 47
Aviemore Drive is open from
9am to 1pm Monday to Friday.